


Follow the Stars

by Skye_Maxwell



Series: Follow the Stars [1]
Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Anxiety, Birthday, Dorks in Love, Every day's great at your Junes, Fluff, M/M, Magic Garbage, Pining, Post-Canon, Presents, Romance, Romantic Gestures, Sexual Tension, Souyo lives in Inaba, Souyowrimo 2018, Stars, Teddie wants to watch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-08-28 03:03:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16715347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skye_Maxwell/pseuds/Skye_Maxwell
Summary: Now that Souji is back in Inaba, all Yosuke wants for his birthday is to have a simple dinner with his Partner, but he never said anything about the day after his birthday. All hands are on deck to give Yosuke more than he ever could have bargained for.





	1. So Close

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is like a piece of garbage Yosuke found while he was stuck in a trash can. But like, a magical piece of garbage. I didn’t know Souyowrimo was a thing until it had already started, and while I briefly considered doing the daily prompts, I realized it was too much for me to take on at once. But around the fifth, as I was inundated by so much lovely Souyo from a number of authors, I felt I had to contribute _something_ to this month. And then I had a terrible idea: “I’m going to combine every single prompt from the entire month into a single fic.” And thus, this magic garbage was born. 
> 
> All the Souyowrimo 2018 prompts can be found [here](http://ohlookashinysquirrel.tumblr.com/post/178617390412/souyowrimo-2018).
> 
> I dedicate this to all you Souyo people who I always see writing Souyo fics and leaving kudos and comments on everyone else’s Souyo fics. I want y’all to know that I see you, and _I like you._

Souji waited until Yosuke was full of ramen and a little sleepy before he asked his question.

“What do you want to do for your birthday this year?”

“My birthday?” Yosuke asked, blinking at Souji. “You know that’s not until the end of next month, right?”

“I know.”

Yosuke shrugged, but when Souji frowned at him, he said, “I want… something simple.”

“Like?”

“Something that would definitely _not_ take more than a month to put together,” Yosuke insisted, ensuring there was eye contact between him and Souji. “No big, crazy gifts either.”

“You’re gonna have to be more specific.”

“I don’t know,” Yosuke said, looking at the calendar on his phone. “It falls on a Monday this year, so maybe that night we could have dinner together?”

“You just want to have dinner with me?”

“I mean, my parents and Teddie will probably do something with me on Sunday. And I usually work during the day on Mondays, so that leaves the evening open.”

“Okay, but having dinner with me isn’t special. You can have dinner with me whenever you want,” Souji said, gesturing to the two empty ramen bowls on the table between them.

Yosuke propped his head on his fist and shook his head. “Well, there was a whole year when I _couldn’t_ have dinner with you whenever I wanted, which included a shitty birthday when I didn’t get to see you at all. I’d like the opposite of that this year.”

Souji’s serious demeanor softened, and he leaned forward to focus on Yosuke’s face. “Can I at least cook the dinner?”

“Sure. You know I’m always up for eating your cooking. Just, don’t prepare a five-course meal or anything, okay? I don’t need a banquet.” 

“A four-course meal, then?”

“ _Souji_ ,” Yosuke said with an unguarded, weary smile.

Souji watched closely as Yosuke’s eyelids started to get heavy. Within the course of a few serene minutes, Souji knew all he needed to know, including that there was no turning back from this point. 

In contrast to the peaceful atmosphere surrounding them, Souji’s thoughts raced wildly with the beginnings of a plan.

* * *

“Happy birthday, Yosuke,” Souji said, lifting his glass.

“Thanks, Partner,” Yosuke said, clinking their glasses together. “I hope I didn’t mess this up.”

Yosuke had gotten off of work early and showed up to the Dojima’s house way before he was expected, just as Souji was getting started on preparing his birthday dinner. At Yosuke’s insistence, Souji had allowed him to help with the preparations. While Souji still did most of the cooking, Yosuke was an attentive assistant and also took the lead on preparing a sparkling strawberry lemonade that Souji had been wanting to try out for a while. 

“I have full faith in your ability to follow a recipe and combine four ingredients.”

“I don’t know; I’ve never had to use a saucepan to make a drink before.” 

Eager to demonstrate his faith in Yosuke, Souji lifted the drink to his lips and took a long sip. Knowing that Yosuke was watching his face for a reaction, Souji winked at Yosuke over the rim of his glass, causing Yosuke to snort and look away. 

“It’s good,” Souji said through a smile, enjoying the perfect balance of sweet and tart on his tongue. 

“Really?” Yosuke asked excitedly, sipping the drink for himself. “Oh man, it is!” 

“Good job, Yosuke.”

“Heh, like you said, it was only four ingredients.”

“But you’ve never had to use a saucepan to make a drink before,” Souji said, kicking Yosuke lightly under the table. 

Yosuke smiled wryly, returning the kick with a bit more force. After the kick, his foot didn’t quite retract like it should have, resting against Souji’s shin. “Okay, fine. But all of this food you made looks great.”

“All of this food _we_ made.”

“Well, let’s eat this food _we_ made before it gets cold,” Yosuke said, snapping his chopsticks apart in Souji’s face.

Souji wrinkled his nose at Yosuke and considered retaliating, but he decided against it, calmly breaking apart his chopsticks so he could delve into the spread before him. 

Throughout the meal, Souji was treated to Yosuke’s usual noises of approval, and he even did his little happy dance that he only ever did in response to Souji’s very best dishes. 

When they had finished, Yosuke collapsed backwards onto the floor. Closing his eyes, he said, “Hey, Partner? Can you keep a secret?”

“All your secrets are safe with me.”

Yosuke snorted again and covered his face with his forearm. “Your cooking is better than my Mom’s.”

Souji’s eyes widened. “Thank you, but I will definitely keep that a secret. Your mom would be devastated.”

“Sorry, Mom,” Yosuke apologized. “He’s just too good.”

“I appreciate your flattery,” Souji said, taking a final sip of his lemonade. 

“S’not flattery…”

Realizing that Yosuke was temporarily incapacitated, Souji leapt up to clear the dishes off the table. Thankfully, Yosuke made no attempt to get up and help him, which gave Souji time to get everything soaking in the sink. 

Seeing that Yosuke still hadn’t moved up off the floor, Souji refilled his lemonade and leaned back against the kitchen counter, downing almost the entire glass in one go. There was no reason the lemonade should have tasted as good as it did, but then Souji realized the fact that Yosuke made it probably had some influence on him. 

Then Souji felt blood rushing into his face as he realized Yosuke might like his cooking so much for the same reason.

After quickly checking to make sure Yosuke’s eyes were still closed, Souji refilled his glass, pressed the cold exterior of the glass to each of his cheeks, and then downed all of the liquid once more.

Needing to distract himself, Souji pulled open the kitchen cabinet where he had hidden Yosuke’s present. He’d planned on wrapping it before Yosuke came over, but once Yosuke arrived early, he just threw open the lowest cabinet door and hid it in an old stockpot they never used. 

Souji returned to Yosuke’s side, sitting next to him on the floor and placing the DVD case on his chest. 

“Happy birthday,” Souji said as Yosuke opened his eyes curiously. 

He picked up the DVD with both hands and held it over his face to examine it, and then he accidentally dropped it on his face, laughing uncontrollably. 

“ _Panda Kopanda_? I didn’t even know they sold this movie on DVD!” 

Souji was beaming as he pulled the DVD case away from Yosuke’s face. “You said you liked it as a kid, right?”

“Did I? I mean, I did like it as a kid, but I don’t remember telling anyone that.”

“You mentioned it on the phone after I told you I took Nanako to see that Buchimaru-kun movie.”

“Buchimaru? Didn’t that come out over winter break? That was half a year ago!” 

“Yeah.”

“Are we gonna watch it now?” Yosuke asked, finally sitting up and looking at Souji with amusement. 

“We can if you want to; it’s your birthday.”

“Put it on, Partner! Sheesh, _Panda Kopanda_. Talk about a blast from the past. I’m actually kind of excited,” Yosuke finally admitted, although he looked a little embarrassed.

Souji set up the movie while Yosuke made his way to the sofa. When Souji hit the play button, the movie started with an orange screen, and then a row of dancing pandas appeared.

Yosuke didn’t even look at Souji as he took a seat beside him, discreetly bobbing his head to the bubbly opening theme song. Yosuke mouthed a few of the lyrics, and Souji secretly hoped he’d start singing it, but he had no such luck. Yosuke caught himself and closed his mouth, but he did keep bobbing along to the song. 

The opening credits was a series of still frames of a cute little girl and various happy animals, and it made Souji happy to think of a tiny Yosuke singing and dancing along. He’d have to remember to ask Teddie to sniff out some old family photo albums in the Hanamura house while Yosuke wasn’t home. 

As the song was coming to an end and the line of dancing pandas reappeared, Souji remarked, “Well, this is adorable.”

“Hey, don’t make fun of me for liking this,” Yosuke said, nudging Souji in the ribs with his elbow. 

“I’m the one who got it for you,” Souji said, elbowing Yosuke right back. “And you were a kid. It’s fine.”

“Yeah, okay,” Yosuke said, relaxing a little more as he sunk back into the couch. 

Souji sighed softly. Yosuke could get insecure about the most insignificant things. He had seen Yosuke at his worst (which wasn’t even that bad) and had accepted him then, so he wished Yosuke wouldn’t sweat the little things so much. 

Looking at the TV but barely paying attention to the movie, Souji imagined telling Yosuke: _I would be the last person to think poorly of you. And a lot of the time, the things you get paranoid about are things I like…_

But saying that would make the mood way too serious, and Souji probably wouldn’t be able to stop at that.

Instead he said, “Nanako would love this movie.”

“Yeah, so would Teddie. The four of us should watch it together sometime.” 

“That would be fun.”

As the movie went on, Yosuke gradually got closer and closer to Souji, until the sides of their arms and legs were making full contact. Yosuke had fallen into this habit of gravitating toward Souji ever since he’d moved back to Inaba, but Souji had to believe Yosuke wasn’t doing it on purpose. And while Souji was infinitely pleased that Yosuke naturally felt comfortable being near him, it was currently causing Souji’s head to swim in a very disquieting way. 

He was _so close._

Souji merely had to move his hand over a few centimeters, and it could be on top of Yosuke’s hand. If one of their arms was placed just a little differently, they would technically be _cuddling_. This entire night was a _date_ , in every way except by name. He could just turn his head to the left and lean forward the tiniest bit, and…

It was maddening. 

Because even though Yosuke was so close, this was where the line was drawn, and Souji didn’t dare cross it prematurely, even though it was so, so tempting. 

_Twenty-four hours_ , Souji told himself. _Hold on a little longer. You’ll have your answers in less than twenty-four hours_. 

The thought that was meant to be comforting backfired immediately, because in twenty-four hours, he could be alone, wondering how things could have gone so horribly wrong. He had been pretty confident up until this point, but the very real possibility of things not going well was enough to make him feel sick to his stomach. Becoming lightheaded with anxiety, Souji stood up and started walking away from the couch, not looking at Yosuke and trying to put on a semblance of normalcy. 

“Where are you going, Partner?”

“Bathroom. Drank too much lemonade.”

“Want me to pause the movie?”

“No, that’s okay. Want anything while I’m up?”

“Maybe some water?”

“Sure thing. Ice?”

“Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

In the bathroom, Souji ran a cool towel over his face while he regained his composure, trying to think realistically since optimism was temporarily failing him. 

_It’s still his birthday, and you haven’t ruined anything yet, so go out there and watch that panda movie with him, and enjoy it, because you may not get the chance again._

“Right,” Souji said out loud, bracing himself as he flipped the lights off and reemerged from the bathroom. 

He made his way to the kitchen and quickly got Yosuke a glass of ice water, not wanting to raise suspicion at having been gone too long. 

Returning to the living room, Souji handed over the water, which Yosuke gratefully accepted. Souji resumed his position at Yosuke’s side, just as close as he had been before he got up, and Yosuke automatically adjusted against him.

“What’d I miss?” Souji asked, relieved that his voice came out sounding natural. 

Between sips of water and with his eyes never leaving the screen, Yosuke explained the plot points Souji had missed, and Souji hung on every word. He was purposefully mindful of the way Yosuke looked with the glow of the TV on his skin and how the firm pressure of his arm felt against Souji’s and the way Yosuke’s contentment colored the lilt of his voice as he spoke. Souji took in every bit of it, just in case this really was the last time he was allowed to do so. 

“Souji, you’re missing it,” Yosuke said in a soft voice with the slightest hint of a whine in it. 

Souji’s gaze snapped back to the TV. He had lost track of his stare, and Yosuke had obviously noticed. 

“Sorry.”

Souji resolved to actually pay attention to the movie since Yosuke genuinely seemed to love it. As the minutes passed, he felt himself becoming more and more immersed in the whimsical, colorful world of the film, and to his surprise and relief, his anxiety began to subside. The original movie and its short sequel were both on the disc, and as they continued watching, Souji found himself wishing he had been paying attention the whole time. No matter what happened to the main characters (a little girl, a giant panda, and his baby panda son), they remained positive, just happy to be in each other’s company. It was all so innocent and quirky and sweet; of course Yosuke would love it. 

But the part that really caught Souji off guard was one of the final lines, delivered by the little girl character in a letter to her grandmother: “And we’re even happier than before, so don’t worry.”

_Don’t worry. You’ll be even happier than before._

_You’re so close._

Souji swallowed hard and then sniffled very lightly, but it was not subtle enough to escape Yosuke’s notice. 

“Souji?” Yosuke said urgently, making Souji want to bury his face in the couch cushions. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah,” Souji said, chancing a quick glance sideways at Yosuke but then getting caught on the look on his face.

“Did the movie strike a chord with you or something, Partner?”

Souji gave a shuddery laugh. “Yeah, it did. Do me a favor?”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Don’t make fun of me for liking it, okay?” Souji said as he wiped at his eyes.

_Don’t make fun of me for liking you._

“You kidding me? I wouldn’t make fun of you for that. Honestly, it makes me like you even more,” Yosuke said, scooting incrementally closer to Souji and distinctly increasing the pressure of his arm against Souji’s.

The ending credits song, which was the same cheery tune from the very beginning, was a perfect backdrop for Yosuke’s nervous laughter, which was like music in itself. 

“Thank you,” Souji said, warmed through by Yosuke’s attentive presence beside him. “I like you too.”

“Pfft, you _would_ latch onto that part,” Yosuke said with a smile. “Thanks for the movie, Partner. And for dinner. And for the whole night, really. It was exactly what I wanted.” 

“Better than last year?”

“Way better.”

Souji chuckled at Yosuke’s answer but also at his own stupidity. Yosuke liked him. Yosuke _loved_ him, if not romantically, as his closest friend, which was not something to be taken for granted. And he wasn’t going to think poorly of Souji for his feelings, not now, not after all they’d been through. All Souji had to do was tell Yosuke about those feelings and trust that they would be safe in his Partner’s hands. 

They sat together and talked for a while until Yosuke, tired from the long day, decided it was time to head home. At the door, Yosuke pulled Souji into a big hug, which Souji promptly melted into. He hooked his chin over Yosuke’s shoulder and focused on the feeling of Yosuke’s hands on his back.

Eyes closed and heart soaring, Souji thought: _Yeah, I’m safe in these hands._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Souyowrimo prompts used in this chapter: 2, 11, 12, 13, 16, 18, 27


	2. The Operation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason, I have decided my preferred number of vowels when Teddie is being Teddie is four.  
>  _Wooooweeee, Yosukeeee! ♥_

At some point during his dreamless sleep, Souji’s optimism made a complete recovery, and he woke up just as the sun was beginning to rise, ready to face the day ahead of him.

He wanted to get all of his chores out of the way first, including washing the dishes from Yosuke’s birthday dinner so that Nanako wouldn’t try to do them herself. After that, he had a few hours of schoolwork to do. He, along with Yosuke and Yukiko, were taking online classes with a university based in Tokyo that they had all agreed upon prior to graduating high school. While they had considered more traditional in-person schooling, they all had important ties to Inaba: Yukiko had the Inn, Yosuke had Junes, and Souji had the Dojimas. Nanako wasn’t going to be a little girl forever, and his uncle certainly appreciated Souji’s help. 

Plus, there was the rest of the Investigation Team. Chie was getting ready to start training at a police academy in the city, but she was in Inaba for the summer and determined to make as many new memories with her friends as possible. The younger members were in their third year at Yasogami now, though Rise and Naoto were routinely out of town for their respective careers. Still, they all regularly found time to be together, which had been a sorely missed part of Souji’s life when he’d been away for a year. 

Souji figured he could probably get a couple hours of research and paper-writing done before he had to check into a remote class midday, and then after school, he would finally be able to get to something important: arts and crafts. He had made a lot of headway on his latest personal project, but there was still a ways to go, and he needed to be finished with that by the afternoon if he wanted to finish preparations for the rest of his elaborate plan by nightfall. 

There was a lot to be done, but this was the home stretch. Souji was ready though because he knew he had his team backing him up, and what was waiting for him at the end of the day was worth absolutely everything.

* * *

“Are these costumes truly necessary?” Naoto asked, looking down at the outfit Rise had forced her into. Everyone on the team was wearing black suits, white dress shirts, black ties, and dark sunglasses. “And why are we wearing sunglasses indoors?” 

Striking a kung fu pose, Chie said, “I kind of like it! I feel like the protagonist in a super cool sci-fi movie!” 

Yukiko suddenly said, “Oh, should we come up with a team name?” For this particular mission, she had assumed a leadership role, and she had really taken to it.

“I thought we already came up with team names,” Chie replied. “You and I are the Transportation Team, and-”

“No, I mean a name for the whole team,” Yukiko interrupted. “Something like… the Shadow Operators?”

Naoto looked skeptical. “Isn’t that a little derivative?”

“I vote for Women in Black!” Rise chimed in. She was wearing a modified version of the outfit everyone else was wearing: instead of suit pants, she had opted for a sparkly black tulle skirt, paired with black tights and black ankle boots. 

Kanji protested, “I ain’t a woman! And Teddie ain’t… Damn it, Teddie!” 

Teddie appeared out of nowhere and twirled majestically in the middle of all his friends, wearing his long blond wig with a black bow and the same modified outfit as Rise. 

“I feel so feminine and _powerful!"_ Teddie declared, whipping off his sunglasses with one hand so everyone could see his sparkling blue eyes. 

“Women in Black it is!” Yukiko decided with a satisfied giggle. 

“Shit, I guess I’m outnumbered,” Kanji grumbled, not about to argue with the girls and Teddie. 

“As am I,” Naoto sighed, looking around at all her friends that she loved in their costumes that were definitely not necessary.

* * *

Everyone else who had worked the evening shift at Junes had taken off for the night, and Yosuke was left by himself to close the store. His dad was progressively giving him more responsibilities, which included closing the store by himself a couple times a week. One of the last things on his checklist was walking around the entirety of the store and doing a visual check to make sure nothing was amiss. 

Still riding a happiness high from his birthday, Yosuke whistled the _Panda Kopanda_ theme song and twirled his store keys around his index finger while he strolled down the aisles. He’d have to call Souji as soon as he was done with his rounds and properly thank him, and maybe discuss a good time to get together with Nanako and Teddie to watch the movie again. 

As he was walking through the sporting goods department, he thought he saw something move out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned to look there was nothing there.

“Yosuke Hanamura!” a bright, cheery voice called over the loudspeaker. 

“Teddie?!”

“I am not Teddie! I am the voice in the sky, a star among stars!”

“Teddie, I told you not to play with the announcement system!” Yosuke yelled, striding up the aisle he was in. “Why are you even here? You weren’t scheduled today!”

“A star is always on duty! Even during the day when you can’t see it, it continues to shine!” 

“Cut it out with the fortune cookie stuff, Ted! Where are you?” 

There were phones throughout the store that could be used to make announcements, and Yosuke figured Teddie had to be somewhat close if he could hear and reply to what Yosuke was saying. The closest phone was only a couple aisles away, so Yosuke quickly went in that direction. 

“I’m in the sky!” Teddie yelled, sounding pouty now. 

“There you are!” Yosuke called, spotting Teddie in the aisle with all the baseball gear. 

“Eep! My position has been compromised!” Teddie yelped into the phone before frantically trying and failing multiple times to hang the corded phone back up. 

Yosuke sprinted over to him, grabbing the phone in one hand and the back of Teddie’s suit coat in the other. 

“Gotcha!”

“Noooo, release the voice in the sky!” 

Yosuke hung up the phone and spun Teddie around. “What are you doing here, Ted? Did you miss me again? And what’s with the costume?”

“Hee hee, don’t I look pretty, Yosuke?” Teddie crooned, changing his tune from a moment ago and swishing his skirt around. 

Yosuke was used to Teddie’s crossdressing by now and had long since stopped trying to fight it. “Well yeah, that’s what you were going for, right?”

“Really?! Yosuke says I’m pretty! Yosuke loves me! Yosuke looooves me!” Teddie chanted. “Don’t you, Yosuke? Don’t you?” 

“Don’t push it, Ted,” Yosuke said, reaching to straighten Teddie’s tie. 

“Y-Yosuke doesn’t l-love me?!” Teddie said, his sparkling eyes starting to water. 

“Hey, stop that. I don’t _not_ love you, okay?” Yosuke said, tightening Teddie’s half-Windsor and taking a step back to look at him.

“You… _donut_ love me?” Teddie asked, eyes wide. “Are you saying that because my bear form is cute and tasty on the outside but empty in the middle?”

“Uh… sure! Yes. Now c’mon, we should really get going—”

“Wh-whooooa! Yosuke donut loves me! I DONUT LOVE YOU TOO, YOSUKE-SENSEI! This is the beary best moment of my bear-utiful life!” Teddie proclaimed, spinning around suddenly. Just as suddenly, his mood changed, and he growled and grumbled under his breath: “ _Grrrr,_ it’s so unbearably unfair… Sensei is so selfish, wanting to keep you all to himself…”

“Wait, did you call me Yosuke- _sensei?!_ ” Yosuke exclaimed, taken aback. For years, the term ‘Sensei’ had been reserved solely for Teddie’s precious Souji.

“Oh, did I? It must have slipped out!” Teddie said, looking as surprised as Yosuke felt. “Wow, in a truly un-bear-lievable turn of events, I accidentally started respecting you!”

Too honored to be insulted, Yosuke clapped a hand on Teddie’s shoulder and said, “Well, I accept my new title. You can call me Sensei from now on. Ha, I can’t wait to rub this in Souji’s face!” 

“Ooh, I want to rub Sensei’s face! It’s so beeeeary soft!” 

“What? Stay away from his face!”

“Hoo-hoo, your jealousy is making my heart pound, Sensei!” Then Teddie switched gears again, mumbling, “Sensei is so selfish, wanting to keep Sensei’s face all to himself…”

“Okay, enough of this, Ted. We gotta close up and get outta here. Did Mom make dinner, or should we grab something on the way home?”

“No can do, Sensei!” Teddie said, snatching Yosuke’s keys from his hand. 

“Hey, give those back!”

Teddie reached into his suit jacket, pulled out a walkie talkie, and said into it, “The voice in the sky has stolen the keys! Kidnapping Team, the target is ready for extraction! Commence! The! Operatioooon!” 

“Teddie, what are you talking about? And where did you get that walkie talkie from? I thought you were gonna stop stealing things! Give me my keys!” 

“Give in to the whims of fate! Let them take you away!”

“What?”

Yosuke felt a chill run up his spine, and suddenly two shadows were on the floor on either side of him. 

A voice said calmly near his ear, “Come quietly, Senpai.”

“Naoto?!” Yosuke squeaked, spinning around to face her. “And Kanji? Sheesh, you guys scared me. What are you doing here?” 

“That information is classified, Senpai,” Naoto said evenly, her eyes hidden behind sunglasses. 

Momentarily ignoring the weirdness of the situation, Yosuke pulled Naoto into an abrupt hug, saying, “I thought you were out of town for the rest of the month!”

Naoto broke into a smile and wrapped her arms around Yosuke as well. Naoto was never one to offer hugs, but she was always happy to return the hugs given by her friends. “I came back for tonight.”

“That’s great, but what’s going on tonight?”

“That’s top secret info, Senpai!” Kanji declared. “Voice in the sky, go do your thing. The Kidnappin’ Team’s got this covered!” 

Looking at Yosuke, Teddie repeated, “Give in to the whims of fate! Let them take you awaaaay, Sensei!”

Both Naoto and Kanji quickly looked over their shoulders. 

“Sensei? Where?!” Kanji asked, looking around wildly. 

“Right here!” Yosuke told them, pointing to himself. He said proudly, “I got promoted to Sensei.”

While he drank in their looks of shock, Teddie took the opportunity to run away, yelling over his shoulder, “Have fun, Sensei! I donut love you!”

“Wait, Teddie! Get back here!” Yosuke shouted, starting to run after him. 

“Restrain the target!”

“On it!”

Before Yosuke knew what was happening, Kanji had grabbed him from behind, and Teddie had disappeared from sight. 

“You’re coming with us, Senpai,” Kanji said. 

Yosuke instinctively struggled to get free, though it didn’t seem to be doing too much good against Kanji’s firm hold. “Not until someone tells me what’s going on!” 

Naoto stepped in front of him, and she lowered her sunglasses very slightly. The cold, unyielding glare she sent over the tops of the lenses made Yosuke freeze in fear. 

“I _told_ you to come quietly.”

More intimidated by Naoto than he had ever been of Kanji, Yosuke stopped struggling and muttered, “Okay.”

“Excellent,” Naoto said, sliding her sunglasses back up the bridge of her nose. Then she reported into her own walkie talkie: “The voice in the sky has retrieved the keys. The Kidnapping Team has kidnapped the target. We are en route to the Star Tent.”

“Copy that! All other teams remain in position!” Rise’s upbeat voice called over the walkie. 

“Rise’s here too?” Yosuke asked, rolling his shoulders after Kanji released him. “Why am I ‘the target’? Are you seriously kidnapping me right now? Who are these ‘other teams’? And what is this ‘operation’ Teddie was talking about?”

“We have somethin’ planned for you, all right?” Kanji said. “Now stop askin’ questions and just roll with it.”

“Wait, is this some sort of weird belated birthday present?” 

“No,” Kanji and Naoto said in unison. 

“Huh,” Yosuke said suspiciously. “Fine. I’ll go along with whatever you guys have up your matching fancy sleeves. But I have to take care of the store first, or my dad’s gonna kill me.” 

“The voice in the sky has that taken care of,” Kanji said, slinging an arm over Yosuke’s shoulders and walking him forward. 

Naoto elaborated, “Teddie knows the closing procedures and is going to finish them on your behalf. We will return the store to its proper condition after the operation is complete. We obtained your father’s permission for all parts of the operation.” 

“Dad gave you permission to run around the store and kidnap me?”

“Affirmative,” Naoto said, walking beside them. 

Kanji nodded as well. “Yeah, he’s a pretty cool dude. It was even his idea to let us use the employee walkie talkies.”

Yosuke grumbled, “I’m gonna kill him when I get home.”

Naoto shook her head and said confidently, “You’re going to thank him.”

Yosuke looked sideways at her, but he couldn’t get a read on her expression, especially with the sunglasses covering her eyes. 

He supposed he didn’t have too much to worry about if his dad had given the go-ahead on their ‘operation’ and if Teddie was closing the store, which he had done with Yosuke plenty of times.

A bit more at ease, Yosuke put an arm around Kanji’s back and asked, “So where are we going?”

“Campin’ department,” Kanji answered. 

“All right,” Yosuke conceded. “Take me away, whims of fate!”

Suddenly, Naoto started laughing openly, something Yosuke didn't get to witness too often. 

Kanji looked over at her happily. “Sounds like you’re havin’ fun.”

“I suppose you all were right; sometimes doing things that aren’t necessary _can_ be fun. I mean, the look of fear on Senpai’s face when I glared at him… priceless!”

“Hey!” Yosuke protested. 

Her laughter was contagious though, and soon enough, both he and Kanji were laughing along with her. 

“You guys are a real trip,” Yosuke said through his laughter, putting his free arm around Naoto so they could be a chain of three. 

As they continued walking, they all messed with each other, trying to trip each other and jabbing each other’s sides. Then Kanji and Naoto teamed up to squish Yosuke between them, and he dramatically pretended that the pressure was killing him. 

“You can stop dying now, Senpai,” Naoto said. “We’re here.”

Yosuke had been so distracted by their goofing around that he hadn’t even noticed they had arrived in the camping department. 

Kanji pointed to one of the display tents and said, “Get in.”

“What? In the tent? Why?” 

“It’s necessary for the operation,” Naoto said. 

“Yeah, so just get in the Star Tent!”

“Fine! But why are you calling it the Star Tent?” Yosuke asked, crawling into the tent and plopping down in the middle of it. His question was answered, however, when he looked up and saw a bunch of plastic stars affixed to the ceiling of the tent. 

“Neat, right?” Kanji said, smiling as he poked his head in the door flap.

Then, to Yosuke’s surprise, Kanji and Naoto both crawled into the tent on either side of him. 

Naoto zipped the tent closed and then sat back, saying into her walkie talkie: “The target is secured in the Star Tent. All teams may proceed to the next phase of the operation. Hit it, voice in the sky.” 

It suddenly got darker in the tent, and Yosuke realized Teddie had shut off the overhead lights in the store. The plastic stars above them glowed, simulating the night sky. 

“And now, all we have to do is kick back and wait,” Kanji said, lying down and resting an arm under his head. He reached out and clicked a switch beside him, and a string of fairy lights lit up the floor of the tent in a warm gold glow. 

Yosuke asked, “What is all this?” 

“Ambiance,” Kanji said, taking off his sunglasses to look up at the glow-in-the-dark stars. 

“It’s nice,” Naoto said, following suit and lying back as well. 

“Hey, don’t this remind you of the school campin’ trip?”

“Ah, yes,” Naoto said. “It was unfortunate that I couldn’t attend this year, but last year was quite fun.”

“Hell yeah, last year was awesome! Definitely the best one outta all of ‘em.” 

“Yeah, last year was a ton of fun,” Yosuke agreed. “It was almost perfect.”

“Almost?” Naoto asked. 

“Well, we had almost all of the team together… except Souji.”

Naoto frowned at that. “Yes, his presence was surely missed.” 

“Well, it was as good as it coulda been without Senpai around. But hey, he’s back now, right?” Kanji said optimistically.

“Right,” Naoto said. “And now we can all get together whenever our schedules allow.”

“I wouldn’t mind another campin’ trip with you guys. Hey Senpai, that’s actually a good idea, ain’t it?!” Kanji asked excitedly. “Can we do that sometime?”

Yosuke asked humoredly, “Are you… asking me for permission?” 

“Uh, yeah?”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, ‘cause you’re my senpai?” Kanji shrugged. 

“Ha, that’s real cute, Kanji,” Yosuke laughed, “but you can just ask my opinion. I’m just one of the team, ya know? And my opinion is that would be a lot of fun, if everyone’s up for it!”

“Well, I’m probably always gonna see you as my senior,” Kanji said a little sheepishly. “But hell yeah, let’s do it!”

“And everyone will be there… including Souji,” Yosuke said wistfully, drawing his knees to his chest and looking up.

Kanji and Naoto exchanged a look, and then Kanji asked her, “Envelope time?” 

“Yes,” Naoto answered. “Senpai, see that envelope taped to the inside of the door? That’s for you.”

“Huh?” Yosuke said before spotting a black envelope on the back of the door flap. He reached forward and pulled it down, recognizing it from a stationary set sold there at Junes. The paper was thick and obviously high-quality, and the envelope was just smaller than the size of the average greeting card. 

Yosuke flipped it over, and his stomach subsequently flipped when he saw “1 of 3” written neatly on the front in metallic gold permanent marker. It was only two numbers and two letters, but it was unmistakably Souji’s handwriting, from the perfectly circular “o” to the curl at the bottom of the “3.”

Yosuke was glad he was still sitting up so that his two tent-mates (hopefully) couldn’t see the blush that was undoubtedly springing up on his face.

Yosuke flipped the envelope over and pulled the flap open, and inside was more of Souji’s handwriting on simple yet elegant white cardstock.

It read: “ _Dear Yosuke, I want…”_

Yosuke thought, _Wait, that’s it? What does he want? And why so formal with the ‘Dear Yosuke’? What the heck is he up to?_

Yosuke closed the envelope back up and put it in the front pocket of his apron. 

Too nervous to look directly at the others, Yosuke asked tentatively, “Uh… was this whole operation Souji’s idea?”

“Yeah,” Kanji confirmed, making Yosuke’s head spin even more. 

Naoto added, “Yes, but he did leave some of the details to us.”

Yosuke blew out a long, measured breath before speaking again. “Well, I’m glad it wasn’t his idea to have you guys kidnap me and imprison me in a tent.”

“Actually…”

“It was?!”

“Yes. He did seem rather amused about that part in particular.”

“I’m gonna kill him.”

“Relax, Senpai,” Kanji said, squeezing Yosuke’s shoulder. “You’re way tense.”

Feeling weirdly vulnerable, Yosuke said, “I just… wanna know what’s going on.” 

“It’s a surprise, Senpai,” Naoto said. “You’ll know in good time.” 

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. You’ll like it,” Kanji hinted in an unusually gentle voice. “Promise.” 

“If you say so,” Yosuke said apprehensively before finally lying back to stare up at the glowing stars. 

“Hey, while we’re waitin’ for the other teams to do their thing, let’s plan our campin’ trip!”

Yosuke had to laugh at that. “Someone’s enthusiastic, huh? All right, let’s do it.”

“I wanna make s’mores!”

“What are s’mores?” 

“Naoto! What the heck?” 

“You haven’t lived, woman!”

The three of them happily threw around ideas and reminisced for a while, until a peppy instrumental song started playing over the store’s speakers. 

Yosuke knew he’d heard the melody before, and his mind started reaching for lyrics. Something about stars in the sky and lighting up a path?

“Oh, that’s your cue, Senpai!” Kanji exclaimed, sitting up. 

“My cue?”

“Yeah, follow the whims of fate or whatever and get the hell outta here!” Kanji said in good cheer as Naoto sat up and unzipped the door. 

“You guys aren’t coming with me?”

“No, but the Transportation Team will be taking you to your next destination,” Naoto said, pushing Yosuke forward. 

“Well, we’ll finish those camping plans later. Thanks for kidnapping me, I guess?”

“You’re welcome!” 

After Yosuke left the tent, Naoto gave Kanji a worried look, and he scooted over next to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

Naoto leaned into him and asked, “What if things don’t go as we’d hoped?”

“Hey, what are you gettin’ worried about? Everything is gonna turn out fine.”

“I’m afraid I can’t maintain my optimism as well as you. If we’re being realistic, things could go either way.”

“Okay, but think about who we’re dealin’ with here. It’s those two. No bullshit, the realistic thing is that they’ll be just fine, and then we’ll all go campin’ and get you some damn s’mores.”

Naoto smiled softly. “Although they sound like they may be detrimental to my health, I _would_ like to try these s’mores you speak of.”

“Hell yeah!” Kanji exclaimed, his enthusiasm shaking the whole tent.

Naoto nodded and calmly said, “Hell yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts used in this chapter: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 14, 16, 20, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30


	3. Follow the Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So _Panda Kopanda_ and its sequel, _Rainy Day Circus,_ are actual movies. For the English version they changed the title to _Panda! Go, Panda!_ Both short films are available on DVD and Blu-ray on one disc, and at the moment the sub is available on YouTube. It’s early Miyazaki, and if you look at Papa Panda, you can see he resembles Totoro. :3

Yosuke crawled out of the tent, and Yukiko was standing right there, offering a hand down to him. 

“Nice costume,” Yosuke said, taking her hand and getting to his feet. 

“Hey, what about mine?” Chie called from behind Yukiko, putting her hands on her hips. 

“Meh, it’s okay,” Yosuke joked, and then he immediately grabbed Yukiko’s shoulders from behind to use her as a human shield. 

As predicted, Chie came flying at him, ready to throw punches. “It’s the exact same suit, you jerk!” 

Yosuke just kept rotating Yukiko and hiding behind her while Chie attempted to get at him without pummeling her best friend in the process. 

Yukiko apparently didn’t mind being a human shield, just laughing in Chie’s face the longer she attempted and failed to reach Yosuke. 

Now fuming at the two of them giggling at her, Chie decided if she couldn’t get around Yukiko, she would go through her. She charged forward with both arms in front of her to reach around and grab Yosuke, but then he swiftly stepped backward out of her reach. She was left standing there with her arms around Yukiko in what looked like an awkward hug that got confused somewhere in the middle. 

Yukiko decided to go with it and calmly wrapped her arms around Chie, laughing the whole time. 

“Don’t hug me mockingly!” Chie exclaimed. “Whose side are you even on?” 

Yukiko pulled back a bit to look at Chie and said firmly, “Yosuke’s.”

Yosuke laughed triumphantly at that. He had definitely grown closer to Yukiko over the years, especially in the year that Souji was gone, and occasions like this when she took his side to tease Chie were his favorite. 

“Why?!”

“Remember why we’re here, Chie.”

“Oh yeah. Sorry,” Chie apologized, slumping over Yukiko’s shoulder and sticking her tongue out at Yosuke. 

He stepped forward and ruffled her hair. “Good to know how easy it is to evade the police.”

Chie tried to surge forward again, but Yukiko held her back, somehow still managing to look effortless as she did so. 

Chie yelled, “You wait until I’m a real officer! I’m gonna lock you up so fast, you little—” 

Yukiko interrupted, “I believe that would be an abuse of power.” 

“Hey, speaking of why we’re here,” Yosuke said, “Why _are_ we here? What’s going on?”

“None of your business!” Chie asserted as she backed away from Yukiko and straightened her suit out. 

“…yet,” Yukiko added on pleasantly. “I trust you can play along for a little while longer, Yosuke?”

“For you? Of course,” he said, purposefully donning his most charming smile. 

“All right, can it, you two,” Chie grumbled, walking one aisle over and violently pulling out a shopping cart. 

It was no ordinary shopping cart though, as it was decked out in the same fairy lights as the ones in the tent, and two flashlights were affixed to the front of it like headlights. 

“Get in, loser,” Chie said, gesturing to the cart. 

“What? In the cart?” Yosuke asked, already shaking his head. “No way!”

Chie pulled out a walkie-talkie and complained into it, “The target is refusing to get into the Star Cart!”

Yosuke scoffed, “What are you doing? _Telling_ on me?”

Teddie interrupted the music coming from the speakers to shout irritably, “Get into the Star Cart! Allow it to transport you to your destinyyyy!” 

“Really?” Yosuke asked, narrowing his eyes and looking to Yukiko. “Do I have to?”

“Play along,” Yukiko reminded, pushing him forward. 

“Fine,” he said to her over his shoulder. “But if Chie pushes me into an incinerator or a wood chipper or something, it’s coming back on you.”

“I’ll remember that,” Yukiko said, helping him into the cart while Chie held it steady. 

“The target has decided to stop being a punk and has gotten into the Star Cart,” Chie reported into the walkie. 

Before Yosuke could voice his protest, Chie quickly swung the cart around and started pushing him down another aisle, and while he held on to the sides of the cart for dear life, Yosuke noticed a path of glow-in-dark stars on the floor all the way down the aisle. 

“Follow the staaaars!” Teddie cried from overhead, and then that peppy instrumental song started pouring from the speakers again.

Yosuke reached back and grabbed Chie’s walkie-talkie from where it was clipped to her pants, replying, “I don’t really have much of a choice, now do I?” 

“That’s the spirit, Yosuke-sensei!” Teddie answered happily, this time coming though on the walkie.

“Give me that!” Chie said, snatching the walkie-talkie back. “Play with your own toys!”

Before he could ask, Yukiko pulled something out of the cart’s child seat and handed it to him. 

“An empty glass jar?” Yosuke asked, looking curiously at the jar that was almost as long as his forearm. 

“Consider this a gift from us,” Yukiko said as they turned a corner, still following the path of stars on the floor. 

“I thought this wasn’t a birthday thing?”

“It’s not!” Chie insisted. 

“What the heck am I supposed to do with this?” he asked, turning and waving the jar in front of Chie’s face and causing her to clip an endcap, jolting them both forward. 

“Don’t distract the driver!” 

Obviously trying to hold in a bout of giggles, Yukiko pulled the cart free of the endcap and said, “Hmm, that’s a good question. I suppose you could use it as a cookie jar?”

“Or you could store coins in it,” Chie suggested. 

“You could put a goldfish in it! With water, of course.”

With an evil grin, Chie said, “You can take it with you on a long road trip, and when your tiny bladder fails, you can pee in it!”

Yukiko’s laughter came out in a burst that ripped across all of Junes (and perhaps all of Inaba), and soon she was holding on to the side of the cart, doubled over with laughter. 

“Hey, it’s not that funny!” Yosuke said, holding his jar away from Yukiko, a little afraid the force of her laughter would somehow break the glass. 

“It’s pretty funny,” Chie said, proud of herself. 

“ _Pee_ in it!” Yukiko rasped, wiping at the tears rolling down her face. 

“Hey! Focus on the operation, ladies!” Yosuke said, desperately wanting to direct all attention away from the thought of him peeing in a jar.

“Oh Chie, the note! We almost forgot the note!”

“Oh crap!” Chie pointed to an envelope that was taped to the inside of the cart. “That’s for you, Yosuke!”

Yosuke tried not to appear too eager as he set his jar down and pulled up the envelope. He really wanted to know what Souji wanted, but he didn’t want the girls to know how much he wanted to know. The dark envelope was identical to the one from the tent, except the front was labeled with “2 of 3.” 

As he pulled the white cardstock from the envelope, he tried to block it from both girls. They didn’t appear overly interested in it though, and then he realized if they were in on this whole operation, they probably already knew what it said.

Yosuke read to himself: “ _…to make a new holiday…_ ”

He frowned, not knowing where his Partner was going with that.

Put together, the two messages were: “ _Dear Yosuke, I want… to make a new holiday…_ ”

“A new holiday?” Yosuke said aloud, wondering if he could coax a hint from the girls. “What kind of holiday does he wanna make?”

Chie, for once, had a solid poker face on. Yukiko just shrugged, but she seemed unable to stop a smile from gracing her features as she looked forward. 

He went on, “I bet it’s something ridiculous, like Day After Yosuke’s Birthday Day. He would totally come up with something like that just so he could have an excuse to treat me twice in a row.”

The girls didn’t respond, and he sighed, guessing he would just have to wait until he got the third message to figure out what Souji meant. He tucked the paper back into the envelope and put it in his apron pocket with the first envelope.

As they entered the electronics department, Chie said into her walkie-talkie, “The Transportation Team is nearing the drop-off point with the target.” 

“All other teams are in position,” Rise replied. “You may proceed.”

There was a spot on the floor where the glow-in-the-dark stars were placed in a circle, and Chie pushed the cart into the center of it. 

“This is your stop, Yosuke,” Yukiko informed him, offering him a hand again so he could get out of the cart. 

Chie said, “Yeah, get out of my Star Cart, loser.”

“I’m going, I’m going,” Yosuke huffed as he hopped out of the cart. “Is there a reason we couldn’t have just walked here?”

Shaking her head, Chie said, “No, not really.”

“We just thought the cart would be fun,” Yukiko told him. 

“You guys are…” Yosuke sighed, trying to find the right descriptors for two of his favorite crazy girls.

“Beautiful, talented, and amazing?” Chie guessed. 

“Intelligent, capable, and fascinating?” Yukiko tried.

Yosuke looked back and forth between the two of them, and then he placed a hand on top of each of their heads. “Yeah. All of those things.”

Both of them blushed, not having expected that response. 

“H-hey! Don’t be all genuine all of a sudden,” Chie complained, waving Yosuke’s hand away. “Back me up here, Yukiko!”

Yukiko gently pulled Yosuke’s hand off of her head and sandwiched it between both of her hands.

“Thank you, Yosuke,” she said, smiling up at him. 

“Geez, not you too, Yukiko!” Chie cried, pulling her away from Yosuke. “Don’t make me put _you_ in the Star Cart.”

“Don’t be jealous because we were having a moment!” Yosuke called after Chie. “You could’ve had a moment with me too if you weren’t so immature!”

“Hey, don’t forget your jar!” Chie said, pulling it out of the cart and marching back to him. “It’s very important!” she said, shoving it into his arms. 

“Right, the jar is important,” Yosuke said, holding it up in front of himself like it was baby Simba. “And where are the whims of fate taking me now?”

Yukiko pointed to where the stars led toward the middle of the electronics department. “Follow the stars.”

“Got it. Thanks for the jar and the unnecessary cart ride.”

“You’re welcome!” the girls said in unison, and then Chie hit him in the butt with the cart to push him forward. 

“Hey!” Yosuke yelled, but then the girls were careening around a corner with the cart, cackling as they made their escape. 

“What the heck?” Yosuke said with annoyance, rubbing his poor backside that was already sore from sitting in the hard cart.

As he started walking along the path of stars, he wondered when he would get to see Souji. He hoped it was soon. Of course he was happy to see his friends and even happier that Souji was planning something (however weird) for him, but at the same time, he had been excited to call Souji earlier, so at this point he just felt deprived. 

“Be patient, Yosuke,” he told himself as he walked past the video game section. Getting to see Souji in person was better than just talking to him on the phone, after all. Plus, he’d probably be excited about his part in the operation, and that would be nice to see. Then Yosuke realized Souji would probably be wearing the same suit as the others…

“Hello, Senpai!” Rise said, appearing at Yosuke’s side and shaking him from his thoughts. 

Rise’s outfit was an exact duplicate of Teddie’s, from the sparkly skirt to the boots. 

“So _that’s_ where Teddie got the idea,” Yosuke said.

Walking alongside him with her hands clasped behind her back, Rise said, “Actually, he was the one who picked the outfit first, but it was so cute that I couldn’t resist!”

“Heh, he would.” 

“So, how are you doing tonight?” Rise asked too-loudly, moving her sunglasses up on top of her head and giving Yosuke a cute wink. “Are you having a fun time?”

“Yeah, kind of?”

“Glad to hear it! But don’t get too excited too soon, because we still have the main event coming right up!”

Yosuke shot her a weird look. “Uh, is everything okay, Rise?” 

“Huh? What do you mean?” 

“You’re acting very… _Risette_ right now.” 

Yosuke knew all too well that Risette only came out in Rise’s everyday life when she was trying to mask something.

“Oh, am I?” Rise asked with a fake laugh that quickly faded and turned into a frown. “Geez, I’m sorry. You’re right.”

“What’s going on?” Yosuke asked, offering his arm to her. 

She smiled at the ground and wrapped her arm around his, swinging it a bit as they continued forward.

“You’ve really grown up a lot since I met you, Senpai.”

“I’m glad you think so. If you thought I was still the same brand of idiot I was in high school, I’d be kinda insulted!”

Rise laughed and said, “Of course not! Nowadays you’re a completely different brand of idiot!”

“There she is,” Yosuke said with a playful Risette-like wink. “Welcome to the operation, Rise! Now, are you gonna tell me what’s bothering you, or am I gonna have to charm it out of you?”

“Pfft, _somebody’s_ confident!”

“ _Somebody’s_ evasive,” Yosuke countered. “Actually, all of you have done a good job of being weirdly cryptic tonight. I know you guys are trying to do something nice for me, but I’ve gotta say, all the mystery has got me kinda on edge.”

Rise leaned into his side a bit, sighing. “I guess we’re all just trying not to spoil your surprise. We may have a strange way of showing it, but we all want you to be happy. As happy as possible.”

“But Rise… I’m already at max happiness right now, in this very moment,” Yosuke said with a serious tone, causing Rise to stop in her tracks and look up at him in alarm. He held up his jar and said, “I mean, look at this. This is the best empty jar I’ve ever seen, and it’s all mine. What else could a guy ask for?”

Rise whacked him, but she was laughing. “Senpai! Don’t make such lame jokes!”

“If you guys can drag me around Junes all night, the least you can do is put up with my jokes, which are not lame, by the way.”

“Says you,” Rise said, pulling him forward. “Lucky for you, the wait is almost over. Here we are.”

Yosuke looked up, and they were headed toward one of the biggest TVs in the store, not far from where they used to enter the TV world back in his second year. An iron arch that he recognized from the gardening department framed the television, and strung with the familiar white fairy lights, it kind of looked like a wedding arch…

Suddenly Yosuke was the one gripping Rise’s arm, and while she did take a moment to squeeze his hand comfortingly, she continued to pull him forward until they were in front of the arch. Hanging down from the middle of the arch was the third envelope, and Yosuke hesitantly let go of Rise to reach up and tug it down. 

After setting his jar on a shelf, Yosuke shot Rise a nervous look before opening the envelope. She just smiled, silently nodding toward the note, which gave him a bit more courage. 

Yosuke ran his fingers over the “3 of 3” on the front of the envelope and then flipped it over, ripping it open before he could chicken out. 

“ _…with you. Love, Souji._ ”

Yosuke tried not to get caught up on the “Love” part since Souji was a surprisingly sentimental guy, and Yosuke had witnessed him sign cards and letters that way for plenty of other people. He was honestly surprised Souji hadn’t doodled in some stars or smiling cat heads or at least a heart next to his signature this time. 

Yosuke’s mind scrambled to put the new message together with the first two, but his frazzled brain was failing him. He handed the message to Rise and dug the other two notes out of his apron, holding them in front of himself. 

“ _Dear Yosuke, I want…_  
_…to make a new holiday…_  
_…with you. Love, Souji.”_

“What does that _mean?”_ Yosuke moaned, having hoped that the last message would bring some clarity. He looked at Rise with searching eyes, desperately needing to know if he was missing something. 

“I guess you’ll just have to ask him yourself,” she said, taking the notes from him and then tucking all three into his apron pocket. 

Hope surged through Yosuke’s chest, followed very closely by a wave of anxiety. 

“I will?”

She nodded, and then she walked under the arch, knocking on the side of the TV three times. 

“Acquisition Team,” she said into her walkie-talkie, smiling warmly at Yosuke the whole time, “The target is ready for you.”

The center of the TV screen glowed for a moment, and then an outstretched hand emerged from it. 

_Souji’s hand._

Yosuke felt like the air around him was too thick to breathe. The song playing over the speakers was suddenly too loud, mixed with the roaring of his blood in his ears. His spine had crystallized and he couldn’t _move._

Souji was right there beyond the TV screen. He was _so close._

But if Yosuke took that outstretched hand, he knew he could never turn back. His entire life would be divided into before and after this moment. 

Trying not to freak out, Yosuke looked to Rise. 

“Rise… I don’t know… if the target is ready,” Yosuke barely managed to say.

“Wh-what?! Yes it is!” Rise exclaimed, quickly closing the distance between them and grabbing him by the apron. “Yes you are!”

Yosuke looked down at her with a disturbingly blank expression, and Rise nearly went into panic mode, fumbling with her walkie-talkie. 

“False alarm, Acquisition Team!” she called into the walkie. “I repeat: false alarm! That’s my fault, sorry! Stand by. I repeat: stand by.”

Yosuke watched as Souji’s hand quickly retracted through the screen, and suddenly Yosuke was terrified in a completely different way that left his breaths shallow and eyes burning. 

_Wait, come back…_

A stray tear escaped Yosuke's eye and trailed down his cheek, but Rise reached up and wiped it away with her thumb. 

“Senpai…” Rise said gently. Giving him a broken little half-smile, she asked, “Do you trust him?” 

Yosuke looked at her questioningly, but then he nodded. 

“Then this is simpler than you think,” she said. “Yosuke, your Partner is over there, and you are over here. Do you want things to stay that way?”

Without having to think, Yosuke shook his head. 

Rise’s smile warmed up, and although it was shaky, she said in her Risette voice, “Well, if that’s how you feel, cutie, what are you gonna do about it?”

Everything that was frozen inside Yosuke melted, bringing motion back into his body and propelling him forward. He gave Rise a quick kiss on the top of her head before grabbing her walkie-talkie in one hand and his jar in the other. 

“Acquisition Team!” he yelled into the walkie, throwing himself toward the TV and not caring that his volume was way too loud. “The target is ready! I repeat: the target is ready!” 

Yosuke could almost feel Souji’s confusion through the screen, but then his hand came through again, palm open for Yosuke to take. 

Yosuke handed the walkie-talkie back to Rise and then double-checked to make sure his jar was secure in the crook of his arm. Then he reached forward, his fingertips brushing indulgently against Souji’s. 

Souji’s fingers seemed to close around Yosuke’s in slow motion, and his thumb slowly swiped over Yosuke’s knuckles before he finally pulled Yosuke forward through the TV screen. 

As soon as Yosuke was out of sight, Rise sank to her knees in relief. 

“That could have gone so wrong,” she said quietly, placing a hand over her chest to feel the pounding of her heart. “Yosuke-senpai, you big idiot…” She then touched her fingertips to the spot on her hair that Yosuke’s lips had touched. “Geez, when did you get so charming?”

“Rise-chan!” Yukiko’s voice called as she and Chie ran into view. 

“What happened?” Chie asked worriedly, skidding to a halt and falling on her knees in front of Rise. “Are you okay?”

Rise didn’t answer immediately, looking at the other two girls with watery eyes, and suddenly they were holding her and stroking her hair comfortingly. 

“I was so scared he wasn’t going to take Senpai’s hand!” Rise wailed into Chie’s shoulder. “I mean, he definitely wanted to, and he did in the end after I convinced him to, but for a minute, he just froze up and wouldn’t move!” 

“I’m sorry, Rise-chan," Yukiko said. "That must have felt like a lot of pressure.” 

“Boys are just so stupid!”

“Yeah, especially our boys,” Chie said, rocking Rise a bit in her arms. 

“I love them so much!” Rise sobbed, and Yukiko and Chie laughed into her hair, nodding in agreement.

Then Kanji and Naoto appeared and ran down the aisle toward their friends. 

“What the hell happened?!” Kanji asked, seeing the three girls on the ground. 

“The Acquisition Team…” Naoto said breathlessly. “Did he…?”

“The Acquisition Team has the target,” Rise reported. “The operation is in their hands now.”

“That’s good…” Naoto said, plopping down at Rise’s side tiredly and casually brushing some of Rise’s hair out of her face. “…and also a little terrifying.”

“Rise-chaaaan! Teddie is coming to the rescue!” Teddie cried from across the department. “ _Grrrr,_ it is beary hard to run in these sexy shoes! Why am I always forced to pay such a high price for beauty?!”

Teddie came into view, and as soon as he saw all the girls on the floor, he yelled, “Ooh, a bear-pile of bear-utiful ladies! Your prince has arrived!” 

Seeing that Teddie was running straight for the girls with his arms outstretched, Kanji stepped into his path and intercepted him. 

Teddie hit Kanji like a brick wall and seemed to deflate, weakly droning, “Kanji, noooo.” He momentarily forgot about the girls though, wrapping his arms around Kanji and snuggling up against him. “Wow, Kanji, you’re so manly! You’re so solid, but also surprisingly soft!” Teddie declared, rubbing the side of his face against Kanji’s chest. 

“H-hey, cut that shit out!” Kanji yelled, blushing and trying to shake Teddie off. 

The girls watched and laughed as Kanji and Teddie continued to yell and dance around each other. They had all done their jobs, and now that the operation was out of their hands, all they could do was wait. 

That’s when Rise remembered something she had discussed with Teddie earlier. 

“Teddie!” she said urgently, cutting through his and Kanji’s noise. “The TV! You’re supposed to do the TV!” 

“Oh, right!” Teddie said, letting go of Kanji. “The voice in the sky is on it! I won’t let you down, Rise-chan! Resume the operatioooon!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts used in this chapter: 1, 7, 8, 12, 18, 22, 24
> 
> Not that anyone’s keeping track, but for prompt #22: the metaverse, my broad interpretation is that the TV world is basically P4’s version of the metaverse. So that is where our boys are now. :)


	4. The Birth of a Wish

Yosuke was momentarily blinded as his eyes adjusted from the dark store to the ever-sunny world inside the TV. His lungs expanded with warm, pure air, and the overbearing noise that had filled his head instantly cleared, replaced only by the sounds of a gentle breeze against tall grass and his and Souji’s breathing. 

_Souji._

Yosuke blinked until Souji came into focus. 

He too was wearing a black suit, but unlike the others, he was sporting an elegant black and gold tie with matching pocket square, and he wasn’t wearing sunglasses, which allowed Yosuke to see the incredibly soft look in his eyes. 

“I don’t know exactly what’s going on, Partner, but I’m starting to feel a little underdressed,” Yosuke said, unable to hold back his smile at seeing Souji dressed up so nicely. 

Souji finally let go of his hand, and once again, Yosuke felt deprived. 

“I honestly feel a little overdressed,” Souji said, looking Yosuke up and down. “But we can fix that.”

“Huh?”

“Lose the apron,” Souji said, starting to take off his suit jacket. 

“Okay?” Yosuke said, supposing he could play along just a little while longer. 

Once Yosuke had carefully set his jar in the grass and removed his apron, Souji took it and handed Yosuke the jacket. 

“Put that on?” Souji requested. 

Yosuke pulled the jacket on without question while Souji tied on his apron. The jacket fit Yosuke well, and it was definitely nicer than anything he had ever worn. Souji’s warmth and smell lingered on it, two things that Yosuke had become so familiar with. 

As he buttoned the jacket up, Yosuke couldn’t help feeling a little silly wearing something so nice on top of a t-shirt with his casual brown pants, but then he looked up at Souji, who looked even sillier wearing a Junes apron over his crisp white dress shirt and fancy tie. Something on the apron glinted in the sunlight, catching Yosuke’s eye, and he realized it was his own nametag. For some reason it felt weirdly intimate to see his name on Souji’s chest, and he stared at it until Souji spoke again. 

“There. Now you’re a little more formal, and I’m a little less formal.”

“Yeah, and we both look ridiculous!”

“A small price to pay to be on equal ground. Right, Partner?” Souji said with a smile. 

Yosuke chuckled. “Sure thing, Partner. So…” he said, lingering on the word a little longer than even he would have liked.”…you wanna tell me what all this is about?”

Yosuke keenly observed the subtle changes that came over Souji: he swallowed thickly, his eyes became shifty, and the fingers on his left hand twitched at his side. 

It was so obvious to Yosuke that Souji was nervous. If his Partner, who was typically his rock, was nervous, there was nothing stopping Yosuke from freaking out internally. 

Souji finally nodded, his head just barely moving up and down. “Open the jar for me?”

As Yosuke bent to pick up the jar, Souji picked up a drawstring pouch that Yosuke hadn’t noticed sitting in the grass before. Yosuke noted that it was black with a gold string—Souji sure had a thing for continuity. 

The top of the glass jar was attached with a metal clasp, so Yosuke undid the clasp and pulled on the lid. It came open with a small pop that definitely should not have made him jump but did since his nerves were wound so tightly. 

“Okay, what now, Partner?” Yosuke asked, only vaguely comforted by saying Souji’s nickname out loud.

Souji took a deep breath and then said, “In China, they say if you give a thousand origami stars in a jar to someone you love, it’ll grant them a wish.”

Souji started to open the pouch, and Yosuke had to grip the jar with both hands to keep it from falling. 

_No way…_

“And in case you didn’t already know…” Souji said, his voice breaking as he overturned the pouch, releasing a waterfall of origami stars into the jar, “I love you.”

Yosuke tried to keep his hands as steady as he could, watching silently as one thousand handmade paper stars of all different colors filled his jar to the very top. 

“Souji…” Yosuke whispered, not quite believing what his eyes were seeing or what his ears had heard.

Through shaking breaths, Souji continued, “And I figured the least I could do was give you a wish, because I want… I want…”

Souji seemed to lose his words, staring at Yosuke in that rare way he did when he truly needed help. 

“It’s okay, Souji,” Yosuke said gently, desperately wanting in that moment to be Souji’s rock for once. “What do you want?”

Words started spilling out of Souji’s mouth in rapid succession: “To go on dates with you. To be in a relationship with you. To live with you. To… to kiss you,” Souji said, looking ashamed even as his gaze dipped to Yosuke’s mouth. “I want more nights like last night. I want to have you to myself. But mostly, I want you to not stop being my Partner just because I can’t help being in love with you. I’m sorry—”

Yosuke did end up dropping the jar, sending origami stars flying into the grass.

He could pick those up later, but he needed to soothe Souji’s anxieties _now._

As soon as Yosuke made direct eye contact with him, eyes full of determination, all the anxiety Souji had been holding in started spilling down his cheeks in two embarrassingly steady streams. 

Seemingly undeterred by this outpour of emotion, Yosuke practically leaped over his jar, causing Souji to drop his now-empty pouch and fall a step back. Yosuke took Souji’s wet face in his hands and planted a fevered kiss on his lips, one that literally took Souji’s breath away. 

Souji felt like the deepest part of his core was jolting awake and every Persona he’d ever had was exploding backwards out of his body in reaction to Yosuke’s kiss. His knees buckled, but luckily Yosuke was there for him to fall into. 

For a moment, all Souji could do was stand there pressed against Yosuke and just realize what was happening to him. 

The stars were aligning.

When Yosuke pulled away, Souji immediately felt deprived. 

_Wait, come back…_

Yosuke stayed close enough that his staggered breaths encased Souji’s lips, and there he whispered, “In case you didn’t already know…” 

He didn’t even have to finish the statement; the shared sentiment alone was enough for Souji to forcefully pull Yosuke into his arms and kiss him like they needed to share the air in Yosuke’s lungs to survive. 

Souji’s personas seemed to snap back into his body at the contact in one big rush. A fierce joy rose up inside of him, as if each and every one of his personas was dancing, emitting energy in the form of pulsing, glowing light. A smile kept trying to form on his lips despite his desire to use them primarily for kissing Yosuke, but he was so happy that he truly couldn’t help it. 

“I love you,” Souji breathed over and over again between kisses. “I love you so much, Yosuke.” 

_Oh wow,_ Yosuke thought, moving his mouth against Souji’s. _This is so good. This feels so good. I love this. I love him. I’m gonna die. I think I’m gonna die._

Yosuke was overwhelmed by the onslaught of sweet, needy kisses, not to mention Souji’s declarations of love or his own feelings of love that were threatening to burn him up from the inside. 

Yosuke panted, “Give me a chance… to say it back…”

Souji drew back obligingly, but he didn’t free Yosuke from his arms, wanting to pull him back in as soon as he had permission. 

Yosuke stuttered, “Souji, I… I…” 

He wanted to say it; he wanted Souji to hear it and believe it, but for some reason the words weren’t coming out of his mouth. 

“Damn it,” he said, laughing at himself and trying to find a way to work himself up to it. “I’ve gotta tell you, last night was torture.”

“What?” Souji asked, caught off guard. “Why?”

“The whole time… I had to try really hard not to kiss you.”

“Really?” 

Yosuke laughed bashfully. “Ha, I guess I hid it better than I thought!” 

“Well, that’s ironic,” Souji said, reaching up to brush Yosuke’s hair behind his ear and smiling at how soft his hair and skin felt under his fingertips. 

“Why?” Yosuke asked, taking in Souji’s every movement and expression. 

“I was trying not to kiss you too.” 

“For real?!”

“For real,” Souji confirmed. “I was so tempted, but I had already planned out this whole thing…”

“Well, I’m glad I didn’t ruin the operation! This has been a real production, Partner.” 

“Did you like it? I was worried the others might take it too far…”

“I like _you,”_ Yosuke answered softly, leaning in and gathering a bit more boldness from Souji’s lips with his before continuing. “Partner… let’s go for it! Let’s be together. I… I love you too. I really, really love you.”

Upon hearing those words, Souji was unable to hold himself back any longer, and he smashed his mouth so hard against Yosuke’s it hurt. 

After recovering from the collision that was more surprising than it was painful, Yosuke let Souji basically attack his face for a good while. That was, until an urgent thought occurred to him that had him pushing the incredibly enthusiastic Souji away. “Hold on, what holiday?”

“Huh?” Souji said mindlessly, just wanting to kiss Yosuke more.

“The notes. The three notes. What new holiday?” 

Souji smiled affectionately, all traces of anxiety fading away as he took Yosuke’s face in his hands. “Anniversary.”

Yosuke was surprised only for a moment, and then he found himself smiling back and nodding. It made perfect sense that if he and Souji were finally getting together, they were in it for the long haul.

Looking into Souji’s eyes, Yosuke struggled to find words to express how desperately happy he was. In the end, the only thing that came to mind was: “This is the beary best moment of my bear-utiful life.”

“Mine too, Partner,” Souji said, laughing and pulling Yosuke into a bear hug—one of _their_ hugs where he hooked his chin over Yosuke’s shoulder and Yosuke wrapped his arms all the way around him and squeezed. 

_Anniversary,_ Souji mused, at ease in Yosuke’s arms. _I want a lot of anniversaries._

* * *

“Teddie!” Rise cried, grabbing his arm and shaking it. “You said you knew how to do this!”

“Stop shaking the voice in the sky! Let him harness the magic of the universe!” 

“That better be a metaphor! You said it would be easy!” Rise said, about to jump into the TV herself if Teddie didn’t figure it out. 

“Help meeee!” Teddie yelled, flailing wildly to get Rise away from him. 

Chie and Yukiko stepped in, pulling Rise back away from Teddie. 

Chie said, “Calm down there, Rise!” 

“Just give Teddie a moment,” Yukiko said. “I’m sure he’ll make it work.”

“Perhaps it’s best if he doesn’t,” Naoto said from behind them. “Senpai doesn’t know you’re doing this, correct? It feels like quite the invasion of privacy.”

Kanji protested from beside her, “But I wanna know what happens!” 

“Ooh, I got it!” Teddie yelled, striking a pose and pointing to the sky. “Star Power Activate!” 

Suddenly, all of the TVs in the electronics department came on at once, each acting as a direct window into the TV world and displaying the same bright picture on their screens. 

Rise scolded, “Teddie! You didn’t have to do _all_ the TVs!”

Teddie huffed. “Don’t ask a star to shine less brightly!” 

“It’s them!” Chie said, pointing at the main TV, and surely enough, there were Souji and Yosuke, standing together in a serene, grassy field. 

The whole team crowded around the TV, trying to determine what point Souji was at in his confession. 

“He already did the stars!” Yukiko said, pointing to the jar full of origami stars in Yosuke’s hands.

Kanji said disappointedly, “Aw man, I can’t believe we missed that part!” 

“Did they… switch clothes?” Chie asked. “What the heck?”

“Shut up!” Naoto yelled, effectively silencing everyone. 

They all watched in horror as the jar fell from Yosuke’s hands, thudding against the ground and spilling some of the origami stars into the tall grass. 

“What the hell?!” 

“Why did he drop it?!”

“Was it an accident?”

“Was it on _purpose?!”_

“Wh-why is Sensei crying?!” Teddie asked, already starting to cry out of sympathy for Souji. 

Yosuke stared at Souji without saying anything for a moment, leaving all of them watching with bated breath. 

Then Yosuke moved swiftly toward Souji and kissed him, and the silence was broken with a torrent of loud, reactive noises, mostly exaggerated gasps and screaming. 

“He’s _kissing_ him!”

Miraculously recovered from his bout of crying, Teddie spread his arms wide and sang, “Now _that_ is what I call a pub-a-lic display of affection!” 

“Hold on! Why isn’t Souji-senpai kissing him back?!” 

“Senpai, what the hell are you _doing?!”_

“He’s just standing there like an idiot!”

“I think I’m gonna faint.”

“Oh no, Yosuke-senpai’s pulling away! Wait. _Wait.”_

All the Yosukes on all the TV screens whispered in unison, “In case you didn’t already know…”

All the Women in Black were holding on to each other at this point, clinging nervously as they waited for Souji or Yosuke to make another move. Souji suddenly sprung to life and pulled Yosuke into his arms, and then the two of them started kissing each other in earnest, eliciting further pandemonium from their friends. 

“It’s happening! It’s actually happening!”

“Whooooa!” Teddie squealed. “They’re _kissing!_ They’re _smooching!_ They’re _SCORING!”_

“Is _that_ what you think scoring is?” Chie asked.

“Someone cover Ted’s eyes!” Kanji yelled.

“Noooo! Teddie wants to waaaatch!”

“Oh, um, they’re still going,” Yukiko said, blushing and looking away.

“Perhaps… we should turn the TVs off now…” Naoto said, also looking away from the screens in embarrassment as every TV Souji started telling every TV Yosuke that he loved him over and over.

“No way!” Rise cried. “Not when it’s just getting good!” 

Teddie crooned, “Sensei looks so beeeeary happy!”

“Which Sensei?” Kanji asked. 

“Both!” Teddie exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. “I wanna smooch them too!”

“All right, that’s enough,” Yukiko declared, not wanting to add any more fuel to Teddie’s fantasies. “The operation is over. Teddie, turn the TVs off this instant.” 

“But Yuki-chan…!”

 _“Now,”_ Yukiko said firmly, and that was the end of that argument.

* * *

“I think that’s all of them, Partner,” Yosuke said, scouring the grass to make sure they hadn’t missed any of the fallen origami stars. 

“I’ll count them all again later, and if there’s less than a thousand, I’ll make more,” Souji promised. 

“Sorry I dropped them,” Yosuke apologized once again. “It’s just, my hands were shaky, plus I really wanted to… to…”

“Kiss me?” Souji asked. 

“Yeah,” Yosuke said, avoiding Souji’s eyes as he put the lid over his jar and used the metal clasp to snap it shut. 

Amused, Souji dipped his face under Yosuke’s and gave him a fleeting kiss, knowing he shouldn’t linger since they needed to get back to their friends. 

“Can I do that whenever I want?” Souji asked, taking Yosuke’s jar-free hand and leading him toward the exit TV. 

Yosuke gave a flustered little laugh that immediately made Souji want to kiss him again. 

“I mean, not _whenever_ you want,” Yosuke said, unthinkingly drumming his fingers against the back of Souji’s hand as they walked. “Not while I’m doing my homework, because I’m super serious about my academics. And not while I’m at work, because I have my eligible young Prince-of-Junes image to maintain. Oh, and definitely not while I’m watching _Panda Kopanda,_ because that movie is important and deserves my full attention.”

“So, any other time then?” Souji asked, only partially joking. 

“Any other time, Partner,” Yosuke said cheerfully. 

When they got to the TV, Souji held up their joined hands and asked, “Ready to face everyone?”

Yosuke hesitated, gripping Souji’s hand a little more tightly and asking, “So… they really all wanted us to get together?”

“They did,” Souji said. “They love us. They love me, and they love you.”

“Heh, yeah,” Yosuke said warmly. “All right, let’s go see ‘em!” 

And so they went forward together, hand in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts used in this chapter: 1, 2, 4, 7, 12, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 25, 26
> 
> As I often do, I drew some inspiration for this fic from music, so here’s my playlist:
> 
> 1.) “A Sky Full of Stars” by Coldplay, instrumental cover by The Piano Guys (this is what I imagine was playing over the speakers)  
> 2.) “You Are My Sunshine” (covered by many artists, I like the versions by Johnny Cash and Jasmine Thompson)  
> 3.) “Empress” by Snow Patrol  
> 4.) “Sunrise, At Last” by Maree Docia (and actually the whole album this track is from: _We Were Legends_ )  
> 5.) “To Build A Home” by The Cinematic Orchestra
> 
> Also, Souyo’s first couple of smooches in this chapter (lol) drew inspiration from one of my favorite choreographed dance kisses (LOL), seen [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUNVCqUo0dY).


	5. Simple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here’s just a simple little epilogue to celebrate the new holiday we made. ;)

-One Year Later-

Souji woke up slowly, knowing instinctively that this was when his alarm would usually be going off. However, he also knew that he had absolutely nowhere to be today, because he and Yosuke had both used their paid vacation time to secure the day off. They had agreed on not making any formal plans for their anniversary, instead allowing themselves to adopt a lazy pace worthy of the lazy Inaba countryside itself. 

They had celebrated Yosuke’s birthday with everyone the night before, all congregating in a new sushi restaurant that had recently moved into the shopping district. Kanji finally forgave Yosuke for excluding their friends from his birthday celebration the year before, and everyone had a good time just being together. After dinner, Yosuke’s parents, Dojima, and Nanako went home, and the young adults made their way to the flood plain to play with sparklers, eat desserts prepared by their female friends (who had _finally_ grasped the basics of baking), and stargaze while relaxing in the balmy summer air. 

It had been a great evening, but they stayed out pretty late, making Souji extra glad there was nothing on the agenda today. Perhaps he could sleep the morning away with Yosuke in his arms, and then around lunchtime they could start digging into some of the food their friends had gifted Yosuke. 

Waking up next to Yosuke on a regular basis was still a relatively new thing, but for Souji, it felt so right and so familiar that it was like it was something he’d known and loved for years. They’d both worked and saved up for the better part of a year so they could afford their current place—a small but homey rental that was a short walk from the Dojima household. They’d moved in the spring with the help of their friends and family, and after all the boxes were unpacked and everything settled back down, the two of them had found a rhythm to their life together that was a reassuring mixture of both steady and exciting. 

Even with their work, school, and social lives taking up large chunks of their schedules, Souji felt like he was living in an extended summer vacation. He’d honestly felt that way since soon after he and Yosuke had become official, after the anxieties of their new relationship had died down. His life had never felt so warm or so easy, and he knew it was all thanks to Yosuke’s constant presence. 

Half-awake, Souji rolled over so he could cuddle up to Yosuke, but Yosuke wasn’t there. He blearily reached for him anyways, but his hand landed on something cold and hard and distinctly _not_ his Partner. Souji grunted unhappily, wondering if Yosuke was in the bathroom or something. Yosuke rarely woke up before him, and prior to this moment, Souji didn’t know he was capable of getting out of their bed without being noisy and waking Souji up.

After taking a second to clear his head and really open his eyes, Souji sat up and looked at the object that had taken Yosuke’s place. His mood improved immediately when he saw that it was a tall black picture frame with a gold bow stuck to the middle of the glass. 

The frame was empty though, and he had to wonder why. Was there a particular photo Yosuke wanted to put in it? All of their favorite photos were already framed and proudly displayed. They had taken some good group shots the night before, but he doubted Yosuke would have anticipated that and preemptively bought a frame. Plus it was an oddly long frame, not a regular-sized one that he would be able to find at Junes, so he must have gotten it custom somewhere, which would have taken some planning in advance. 

Souji threw off the covers, more awake now with the thought of investigating the mystery that Yosuke had laid out for him. And his prize for solving the mystery, Souji decided, would be dragging Yosuke back to bed and cuddling him as planned. 

Leaving the bedroom with the frame in hand, Souji realized he smelled coffee. Souji was usually the one preparing coffee in the morning since Yosuke only drank it when there was something important going on that he could use the caffeine boost for. 

When he entered the living room, there was Yosuke sitting cross-legged on the floor, and on the table beside him was an emptied coffee mug. He was drumming his fingers on his knee, which was bouncing up and down, signaling to Souji that the caffeine must have already kicked in. 

“Good morning,” Souji said, taking in this rare sight of a fully-awake Yosuke so early in the morning. 

“Good morning,” Yosuke said, smiling and turning his body toward Souji. “Happy anniversary.” 

Souji set the frame down on the table and then sat on the floor in front of Yosuke, crossing his legs as well so that their knees touched. 

“Happy anniversary,” he replied before taking Yosuke’s face in his hands and giving him a long, gentle kiss. Even Yosuke’s lips were jittery, and Souji asked as he pulled away, “How many cups of coffee have you had?” 

“Uh, three? Four? I don’t actually remember,” Yosuke said, laughing nervously. 

“Thanks for the frame,” Souji said, taking Yosuke’s hand. “But why is it empty?”

“Says the guy who gave me an empty jar last year!”

“Technically Chie and Yukiko gave that to you. I’m the one who filled it, remember?”

Yosuke looked sideways at the jar of origami stars, which they kept prominently displayed on its own shelf mounted to the wall. Souji had asked Yosuke a few times if he had made a wish yet, but Yosuke always said no, citing that he was too happy with how things were to make any further wishes.

“Okay, yeah,” Yosuke conceded. “Speaking of that, I wanted to let you know I finally made a wish.”

“You did?” Souji said, clutching Yosuke’s hand tighter. “What is it?”

Yosuke laughed cheerfully at Souji’s reaction. “You’ll know in a minute. I know I’m not as good at big, romantic gestures as you, but I have something for you.”

He reached behind himself and grabbed a stack of three envelopes which he then handed to Souji. 

They were black with gold writing on them, and Souji could already feel the nostalgia and affection bubbling up inside him like lava. The envelopes were labeled: “1 of 4,” “2 of 4,” and “3 of 4,” but there was no fourth envelope. 

Before he could ask, Yosuke was shaking his head and saying, “Just open those three first.”

Souji did as he was told, starting with the first envelope. The first thing he noticed was that the white cardstock was the exact same kind he had used for Yosuke’s notes one year ago, and the second thing he noticed was how neat Yosuke’s handwriting was. Yosuke could write neatly when he wanted to, but he usually didn’t want to, so Souji could only imagine the painstaking effort Yosuke had gone to in order to produce such nearly-perfect script. 

Souji read the note aloud, _“Dear Souji, I want…”_ He looked up at Yosuke and asked, “What do you want?”

“I want you to know how much of a tease _your_ notes were,” Yosuke joked. “Luckily for you, I am much nicer than you and will allow you to move on to the next note immediately.”

“That really was a tease, wasn’t it? Sorry,” Souji apologized with a light laugh as he ripped open the second envelope and pulled the note out. He read: _“…to spend this holiday with you…”_

Souji’s smile grew even bigger and brighter. “That’s the plan, isn’t it? To spend the day together without a plan?”

“That sounds a little contradictory, Partner.”

“I suppose it does,” Souji said, wasting no time moving on to the third envelope. _“…for the rest of my life. Love, Yosuke.”_

The smile fell from Souji’s face. He picked up all three notes and held them in front of his face, silently scanning them over and over and over again until he could no longer see them through his tear-filled eyes. 

Yosuke pushed Souji’s hands down, revealing that he was also dangerously close to crying.

He smiled through it anyways, watching Souji carefully as he summarized the meaning of the three notes: “Souji… I want this day to be our anniversary forever.” 

He reached behind himself once more and pulled out one last black envelope, holding it in front of him so that Souji could read the label: “4 of 4.”

As Souji took it in his hands, he realized it was unlike the first three: it had more weight to it. 

Seeing there was no note inside, he held one palm open and overturned the envelope, and out slid a ring.

It was three-tone, mostly black and silver with a thin rose gold stripe running through the middle. It was somehow both subtle and colorful, as far as wedding bands went…

The ring fell from Souji’s palm and clinked against the floor (he would have time to admire it later) as he lunged toward Yosuke and tackled him backwards. He wrapped his arms around him, cushioning his back as they fell to the floor, and then he just lay on top of him, pressing his face into the side of his neck. 

“Uh…” Yosuke said softly as he adjusted his legs under Souji, the noise rumbling against Souji’s lips and the tip of his nose. “So, yes?”

“Mhm,” Souji hummed, placing a gentle kiss on Yosuke’s neck. 

“S-Souji, I’m serious,” Yosuke stuttered. “You understand what I’m asking, right?” 

Souji pushed himself up a bit, looking down into Yosuke’s eyes. “I do.” 

“You do?” Yosuke asked, his hands coming up to hold Souji’s hips. 

_“I do,”_ Souji said with a dorky smile. 

Yosuke laughed, causing his buildup of tears to slide from the corners of his eyes and down into his hair. 

Halfway between a sniffle and a chuckle, Yosuke said, “I love you.”

Souji continued to stare into Yosuke’s eyes, relishing in the uninterrupted contact. 

“Yeah?” Souji said, rubbing his thumbs up and down on Yosuke’s back. 

“Yeah. Thanks for granting my wish, Partner,” Yosuke said, lifting his head to go for a kiss. 

“Granting your wish?” Souji said, not leaning down for the kiss. He glanced over to the jar of stars and then back to Yosuke as a weird chill ran down his spine. “You used your wish on me?” 

“You probably think that’s dumb, huh?” 

“No,” Souji replied fervently, shaking his head. “I think it’s great. It’s perfect. Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome,” Yosuke laughed, trying to coax Souji’s mouth down to his. 

Once again distracted by his own thoughts, Souji suddenly asked, “Are we gonna be together forever?” 

“That’s the point of the ring, doofus. You should probably know what you’re getting into before you agree to it. Too late now, though,” Yosuke said hastily, moving his hands to the back of Souji’s neck and finally pulling his mouth down to his own. 

Souji sank into Yosuke, feeling surprisingly giddy. His head was buzzing, as if he’d had twice the amount of caffeine as Yosuke. 

With sudden panic, Souji pulled away and asked, “Where did you get it?” 

Yosuke groaned at the loss of contact. “Get what?”

“The ring!” Souji said, sitting back on Yosuke’s thighs and reaching back to snatch his ring up off the floor. 

“At a jeweler in Okina,” Yosuke said, propping himself up on his elbows. “Why?”

“Is there another one like this?” 

With a knowing smile, Yosuke said, “I already put a deposit down on a matching one. They’re holding it for me.”

“Well, let’s go get it!” Souji said, abruptly climbing off of Yosuke and heading toward the front door. 

“Whoa, hey! You’re not even dressed! I thought we were staying in today. And I, uh, can’t afford—” 

“I have savings. This is important,” Souji said, circling back to Yosuke and giving him a hand up. “I don’t wanna put mine on until you have yours too.”

“Geez, I guess I should have expected this,” Yosuke said, pulling Souji into his arms and effectively slowing him down. “I should have just stayed in bed with you all morning. But I couldn’t wait.”

Souji closed his eyes and kissed behind Yosuke’s ear. “We can go back to bed after we get your ring, and we can stay there for the rest of the day if you want. Actually, promise me that’s what we’ll do.” 

“Promise,” Yosuke said. “But before you run out the door with no pants on, I have another gift for you.”

“Another?” Souji asked, looking down at his boxers when Yosuke pulled away and realizing that he really was about to leave without pants. 

Yosuke went over to the couch and pulled out something from behind it. It was a frame identical to the one Yosuke had left in their bed, except instead of being empty, it appeared to have three pieces of white cardstock in it, all stacked vertically and perfectly spaced apart it. 

“My notes from last year?” Souji asked, taking the frame from Yosuke and looking at his own handwriting as if it was something foreign. He hadn’t seen the notes out of their envelopes since he had written them, and that felt like a lifetime ago. 

“Yeah, I thought if you said yes, we could frame my notes too and then hang them up together.”

“Let’s hang them up right now,” Souji said, wiping at his eyes with his sleeve. 

_“Partner,”_ Yosuke said exasperatedly, taking the frame from Souji and setting it on the table next to the empty one. “Focus. We’ll have plenty of time to do that later. Right now we’re gonna get ready, and you’re gonna put on some pants. Then we’re gonna go get my ring, and then we’re gonna come back home and just chill out, okay?” 

“Plenty of time,” Souji repeated back, fixated on that phrase. “We have plenty of time together…” 

Souji smiled brightly, grabbed Yosuke’s face to give him a quick smooch, and then ran off to the bedroom to find some pants. 

“I don’t think he gets it,” Yosuke said with a laugh. “I haven’t seen him this excited in… ever,” Yosuke realized, touching his fingertips to his lips and blushing. “What the hell am I still doing in here?” he asked himself, jogging after Souji so he could continue to witness his adorable excitement.

* * *

The trip to Okina seemed to go by in a blur, with Souji not calming down at all while Yosuke covertly took the opportunity to goad his excitement on. 

At the jeweler, the teen girl who was working at the counter nearly fell over when she saw Yosuke and Souji come in, exclaiming, “He said yes?! Oh, you were so nervous, but I told you!” before literally sprinting to the back to get Yosuke’s ring. 

Souji paid for the ring and then impatiently dragged Yosuke out of the store while Yosuke happily thanked the girl and waved goodbye over his shoulder. Right there on the sidewalk in front of the jeweler, Souji slid Yosuke’s ring onto his finger, and then Yosuke did the same for Souji. They kissed until Yosuke felt someone watching them, and when he checked, there was the jeweler girl staring at them through the shop’s front window. 

“I’m so sorry! Congratulations!” she yelped, running back to the counter in a panic. 

They both laughed it off as they walked away down the sidewalk. Then they realized they were both starving, so they took the time to stop at one of their favorite Okina cafés. Still, Souji didn’t calm down throughout the entire meal, almost knocking his drink over multiple times when his ring clinked against the glass and surprised him. 

On the ride back, Yosuke’s caffeine crash from his morning coffee started to hit him hard, so he quietly took hold of Souji’s hand and rested his head on Souji’s shoulder. 

It wasn’t until then that Souji started to realize how amped up he’d been. While he tried to calm down so Yosuke could rest, his heart and mind would not stop racing, especially every time that his thumb that was stroking Yosuke’s hand would catch on his ring. He’d had no idea that a literal ring could make such a difference with its weight on his hand and the metallic noise it made against everything, let alone the symbolism of it—his bond with his Partner was truly unbreakable now. 

When they were almost home, Yosuke used what felt like his last bit of energy to hop onto Souji’s back, commanding Souji to carry him the rest of the way and over their threshold. 

Souji was more than happy to oblige, working up a bit of a sweat with Yosuke pressed against his back and the summer sun beating down on them. Ultimately he was glad for the expenditure of energy, as he may not have been able to calm down otherwise.

They haphazardly made their way in the front door, laughing and narrowly avoiding hitting Yosuke’s head on the top of the door frame. Souji kicked the door shut and quickly removed his shoes, and then he carried Yosuke straight toward their room, ready to sleep the afternoon away. 

Why was he in such a hurry to do something so unexciting, something that he now knew he’d be able to do for the rest of their lives together? 

Because he was in love.

Because one year and one day ago, he hadn’t even been sure that Yosuke would still want to be his best friend after he confessed his love for him, let alone all _this._

When they finally started to fall asleep in each other’s arms, Souji reflected on everything he had to be grateful for. His life had just gone from amazing to perfect, after all. It was no longer a question if Yosuke was going to stay by his side; he didn’t have to worry, because they were even happier than before. The rest of his life would continue to be like summer vacation: under the stars and close to the sun.

_So close._

“Souji?”

“Yeah?” 

“I’m trying to sleep, but your pounding heart is shaking the whole bed.”

Souji snorted and then kissed Yosuke’s forehead.

“Sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts used in this chapter: 1, 3, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 26, 27
> 
> Cheers to everyone who completed Souyowrimo (without even cheating like me!) or are still working on it (no shame in that, you can do it!). My sincerest thank you to everyone who read this, commented, shared, bookmarked, and left kudos. Each bit of your kindness is like a star in my sky~ (Cheesy! :D)
> 
> We’re done here, but fear not, there is more Souyo to come from me. I also write P3 and P5 stuff, so look out for that as well!


End file.
